MIT Class of 1963, Class Notes for Jan/Feb 2000 issue of Technology Review:
Greetings to you all at the start of the year 2000. The new millennium awaits us (a year from now, of course.) This year seemed very far away when we were at the Institute. But here it is, finding us as young and irrepressible as ever.
James Hadden writes that he greatly enjoyed performing in the 50th anniversary concert of the MIT Concert Band. It was inspiring to play once again for John Corley, who he’s known for almost 40 years. Many of the band members, classmates and near classmates, remarked that Mr. Corley had helped them survive the pressures at the Institute. And James said he was pleased to see genuine respect for John from the academic and administrative branches of MIT.
We have a few changes in corporate titles to report, coming to us via MIT from various media sources. Paul Richman is Chairman of the Board of Standard Microsystems Corp, in Happauge, New York. Previously Paul had that title, and was also Chief Executive Officer. As a good manager Paul has delegated the CEO’s job to a rising star. Thomas Emerson is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Arizona Technology Incubator, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Tom had been Chairman and CEO of Xantel, Inc.
That’s it for this month’s hard news. Not too many of you responded to my poetic challenge in the summer edition of Tech Review. In fact none of you did!! I haven’t been overwhelmed with class news. You’ll have to suffer with the story of the trip Barbara and I made to Botswana and Zimbabwe last July. Those of you who read the class notes on our MIT web site (http://alumweb.mit.edu/classes/1963/) got a preview of the trip itinerary. (I’m allowed more space on the web site than on the printed pages of Tech Review, and my last paragraph got left on the cutting room floor.)
We left California on June 26, and didn’t return until August 2. Along the way we had some incredible adventures. Most of the time we were camping, sleeping in tents from which we could hear the roaring of lions, the movements of grazing hippos, and the tinkling noises of frogs in the Okavango Delta.
We flew to Maun, Botswana, our jumping off point for a 6 day trip into the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Here we visited a remote Bushman village -- a village that sees outsiders 4 to 6 times per year, and is 40 miles from any other human habitation. During the dry, winter season, these people live on less than 3 quarts of water per day, brought to them in a government tank truck. Think about that the next time you take a shower. We took walks with the people, and they showed us how they capture birds and small antelopes, and how they find certain desert plants they use for food, and from which they extract water. It is a life so different from ours that I can’t begin to explain it.
On July 6 we joined a group of 9 other travelers from England, South Africa, Israel, Denmark, and the US for 12 days in the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park. Here we saw hundreds of hippos, thousands of elephants (they are not an endangered species in this part of the world!), dozens of lions, herds of zebras, giraffes, buffalo, and 15 different kinds of antelope. We saw over 200 species of birds, including 8 or 9 different types of eagles. We were fortunate to see a pack of wild dogs hunting. Wild dogs are rare -- they are an endangered species. It was simply spectacular. And believe me, it was unlike any zoo or wild animal park you’ve ever been to. We were the visitors in the animals’ world. They knew it and so did we.
This part of the trip ended as we crossed the border into Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls. The falls were breathtaking, spread out as a curtain of water a mile wide. The bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia is the second highest bungy jumping spot in the world. We passed on that activity, but we got some great photos of crazy people leaping out into space almost 400 feet above the Zambezi River.
The next part of the trip took us to Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, where joined 3 Dutch women who were bicycling around Zimbabwe. (But not in the park -- do that in the park and the animals will eat you.) We saw huge elephant herds, lions, and a pair of rhinos. Then we flew to east to Kariba, for a canoe trip on the Zambezi. Our party of 11 tourists included Barry Sacks and Howard Rosenthal, MIT ‘61. Barbara spotted the brass rat on Barry’s hand. WE ARE EVERYWHERE!! At night we camped on islands in the river, and talked about our Cambridge days. As we paddled down stream we eluded the herds of hippos and the 10 foot long crocodiles sunning on the banks. We got some incredible photos of solitary elephants and buffalo grazing on islands as we floated by.
After roughing it we opted for 3 days in a luxury lodge at the edge of Mana Pools National Park on the Zim side of the Zambezi. Here we saw many lions, and had a herd of elephants come through the lodge compound as we ate lunch. One large female checked us out, approaching to within 10 feet and sniffing at us with her trunk. As I slowly edged back one of the guides told me to hold my ground and remain still. I was glad he was between me and the elephant. Finally we made our way to Harare where we recuperated and did some souvenir shopping. I bartered my Gortex jacket and a $20 bill for a wonderful stone statue of a family of giraffes. We bought a 75 pound stone statue of a man smoking a pipe -- we were lucky to find a carpenter to build a box for us to get in home in. The last night in Harare we ate Indian food and went to the movies to see "A Civil Action." It was a long way to go to see a movie, but it was a fantastic trip.
Best regards and happy new year to you all. You can reach me at: Mike Bertin, 22 Gillman St, Irvine, CA 92612. E-mail: MCB1@aol.com. If you want to schmooze, call me at (949) 786-9450.